Amorphous Silicon Technology 1996 Volume 420

This book from the highly successful series on amorphous-silicon science and devices reflects the increasing range of applications for a-Si technology. Advances in solar cells incorporating microcrystalline silicon absorber layers are discussed, and a new manufacturing facility for amorphous-silicon-based tandem solar cells is highlighted. Progress towards realizing both higher resolution and improved visibility in active-matrix liquid crystal displays is featured. And while work on raising the deposition rate for amorphous-silicon transistors is also outlined, it is expected that advances in devices and manufacturing will be accelerated when several fundamental puzzles regarding amorphous silicon's structure and optoelectronic properties are resolved. Topics include: solar cells; thin-film transistors and flat-panel displays; sensors, detectors and novel devices; device physics; deposition technologies; studies of growth processes; hydrogen and structure a-Si:H; defects and equilibration in a-Si:H; fundamental issues in defect processes; transport and recombination processes; thin films for photovoltaic and related device applications.

This book on the Laser Crystallization of Silicon reviews the latest experimental and theoretical studies in the field. It has been written by recognised global authorities and covers the most recent phenomena related to the laser crystallization process and the properties of the resulting polycrystalline silicon. Reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of the field that the series covers, this volume will continue to be of great interest to physicists, chemists, materials scientists and device engineers in modern industry. Valuable applications for industry, particularly in the fabrication of thin-film electronics Each chapter has been peer reviewed An important and timely contribution to the semiconductor literature

This book is devoted to the continuing research and development of thin-dielectric films for optical and microelectronic applications. Although thermal SiO2 has been the dominant dielectric for thin films in microelectronic applications for many years, there is a growing need for low-dielectric constant materials for interlevel dielectrics (less capacitive cross-talk and reduced delay) and high-dielectric constant materials to minimize the space and maximize the capacitance of storage devices such as DRAMs. With the demands put forth by the microelectronics community, this field is expected to develop significantly in the near future. Also featured is the growing area involving the structure and characteriza-tion of buried a-SiO2 layers formed by O+ ion implantation or the Smart Cut Unibond® process. These techniques are evolving into viable methods for producing commercial silicon-on-insulator substrates for device applications requiring radiation hardness, high-speed and low-power performance, and high-temperature operation.